Drafting a Crew Neckline for Knits

This lesson will teach you how to draft a crew neckline, the most common neckline finish used on knit T-shirts and tops. You will learn how to plan the crew neckband’s width and then how to stretch the band around the neckline so that it lies flat before drafting the final pattern.

The sleeveless knit T-shirt sloper needed for this lesson can be found and drafted in our lesson, Drafting a Women’s Fitted Stable Knit T-shirt from Measurements. The fabric planned for this draft is a cotton/Lycra single knit jersey.

For more lessons on working with cut & sew knits visit our Knit Discipline landing page.

Table of Contents
Transcript

Module	Description	Step
1	Banded Crew Knit Neckline	1-7
2	More About Knits	1-2

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MODULE 1 • Banded Crew Knit Neckline

Step	Description
1	The most common T-shirt neckline is the banded crew neck. The band can be planned either using the same fabric as the T-shirt, or you may choose a rib knit. A rib knit will offer additional stretch when pulling the T-shirt over the wearer’s head. For this lesson we will draft a self-fabric neckband out of a stable stretch knit jersey.
2	When planning your T-shirt’s neckband, you must take several things into account: How much does your knit stretch? An adult’s head circumference is approximately 20-23” (50.8cm – 58.4cm) and since the neckband must be able to be pulled over a person’s head with ease, the neck opening must be wide enough and the knit stretchy enough to accomplish this goal. How close to your neck do you want the neckband to sit? Most neckbands are designed to be at least ¼” (6mm) away from the natural neckline. How wide do you want the neckband to be? The wider the band, the harder it will be for it to lie flat around the neckline. Knits that do not have much crosswise stretch will not work well, unless the band is narrow, such as a ¼” (6mm), which will be more like a neck binding than a band. A good, manageable band width is no more than ¾” (2cm) with most bands at around 5/8” (1.6cm) wide.

Step

Description

The most common T-shirt neckline is the banded crew neck. The band can be planned either using the same fabric as the T-shirt, or you may choose a rib knit. A rib knit will offer additional stretch when pulling the T-shirt over the wearer’s head. For this lesson we will draft a self-fabric neckband out of a stable stretch knit jersey.

When planning your T-shirt’s neckband, you must take several things into account:

How much does your knit stretch? An adult’s head circumference is approximately 20-23” (50.8cm – 58.4cm) and since the neckband must be able to be pulled over a person’s head with ease, the neck opening must be wide enough and the knit stretchy enough to accomplish this goal.
How close to your neck do you want the neckband to sit? Most neckbands are designed to be at least ¼” (6mm) away from the natural neckline.
How wide do you want the neckband to be? The wider the band, the harder it will be for it to lie flat around the neckline. Knits that do not have much crosswise stretch will not work well, unless the band is narrow, such as a ¼” (6mm), which will be more like a neck binding than a band.
A good, manageable band width is no more than ¾” (2cm) with most bands at around 5/8” (1.6cm) wide.

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